Sometimes at work, you will have a co-worker who calls you over to look at something they are doing and then continues to work while you are there. Then when you go to leave, they ask about something else so you stay. I’m sure there’s a thousand different ways people describe this – hand-holding, babysitting, whatever. But I know what it really is and I have a name for it.
Most people would probably agree that the root cause of this behavior is insecurity. Maybe it starts when the person doesn’t know exactly what to do, so they call someone over to make sure they do it right. Then they need that person to stay there because they are not sure of anything else from that point onward.
There are many times when I am walking through my house that my cat intercepts my path and guides me where she wants. You do know this is what they are doing when they get all up in your legs, right? They want you to go somewhere and they will herd you there. This always happens when I get home from work because that’s canned food time. It happens other times as well. But here’s the point. She always takes me to her food bowl.
Why? So she can eat. It’s something I call, “Watch me eat!” That’s what she wants, for me to watch her eat. I suppose because it makes her feel safe or maybe because she’s proud of her eating abilities, who knows? And you know who else does this? People. They want you to watch them eat because they’re unsure of what they’re doing or maybe they’re proud of their eating abilities.
Next time your co-worker wants you to watch them eat, just do what I do with my cat. Walk away. She keeps on eating, and so will your co-worker.
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